Jul 12, 2016

American Observations

Its been just over two weeks since I walked through the sliding doors of Wellington Airport, breathing in rarefied fresh air and concluded my American holiday.

And that air smelled so great.

I observed, watched and considered. Re-thought some of the things I once assumed as correct. There’s plenty of sights and sounds that I’ll want to press into deeper, but here are some quick hits:

I believed I had more time while travelling to write and analyse. And I talked like this was going to be a reality. before I left The first lesson of travelling hit me like a 2x4: Time is as much of an illusion in working life as it is in travel life.
Travel brings an interesting tension: Rest or attractions? I picked up the dreaded ‘See as much as possible’ virus, trying to get on top of time to tick off the long list of things I wanted to see. The virus subsided in my second week away, with fatigue and tiredness the signs that the virus had passed and left. There was too much to see to stop, but I could’ve slowed down a bit.
The media we get of America is an inaccurate America. Relying on the late night satirical criticisms and journalistic pieces does provide a counter-point to their mass media, which could be regarded as subtle propaganda or junk food, but the reality is somewhere in between. There’s hospitality, voluntary assistance (without the expectation of gratituity), kindness and a friendly conversation all over the place. Just like there is in every country.
There’s just a proportion of America that is stereotyped into the unfortunate ‘real’ America.
My strange welcome to the States was seeing a black animal splat like a cartoon comic (or a rug) on my shuttle out of LA. What a welcome.

Los Angeles is peculiar. It acts like a Hollywood film would — presented very nicely, full of eccentric personalities, but relies on a constant state of smog, traffic and busy-ness. With an underbelly of inequality too. I was shocked at the cracks in the freeways, where the Hollywood Walk of Fame traverses, and the lack of a central heart. LA has great cities within the city, but no central city.

Lesson #1 of not looking like an Asian tourist — Don’t ride a segway, or wear a fluro yellow helmet or vest while riding a segway.

And just a friendly reminder that East Asians don’t all look the same — I had an awkward encounter with an Asian mother who thought I was her son, and came up to hug me until she was two feet away and realised I wasn’t him.

Yosemite is one of those jaw-dropping places a computer screen saver doesn’t do justice. Take out the filters, the Photoshop, and its still hard to comprehend. The waterfalls, rock faces, forests, the mountain air and the birds chirping across the landscape.. No photo does that place justice.
There was just something ironic sitting bumper to bumper in peak summer traffic while in Yosemite.
And when my uncle/aunty questioned why I was hesitant on taking photos of bears in Yosemite — Seeing a bear cross the road in Los Angeles, while travelling in a car towards said bear, was a rare experience I won’t forget. I had my ‘What the?’ moment.

To the Kiwi contingent that rode in on their fancy rental car to Yosemite (and they had to be Kiwis, a Waikato Draught wifebeater is obvious everywhere) — leaving the car window open for a theft while you spent your hours on Glacier Point is a no-no. This isn’t rural New Zealand guys.

San Francisco is going through an interesting transformation. Ghetto areas have turned into hipster areas (merging the retro, throwback and modern together) and now the tech dollars have rolled in. Those dollars are forcing the locals out, and possibly the heart of the city too. Sort of like what happens when a fledging sports team (with a patriotic fanbase) that sees winning, higher prices and the rich/famous turn up. Oh, wait, that sounds like the Golden State Warriors!

I heard more Australian indie music in US shopping stores than I ever did in New Zealand anywhere. In the midst of impulse buying and buyers’ remorse, I could hear Foals’ newest album. Some stores must just listen to triple j all the time.
And here’s an idea for a start-up — how about making a frozen pizza range that has self-raising pizza bases? I was told that frozen pizza is better in the US and I wasn’t disappointed.
The food was something special. I ate amaze-balls Mexican (with massive portions and a bounty of sangria to boot), some of the best Japanese I’ve ever had (cue that eel sushi) and the Italian-chipotle fusion pasta dish.. Flip. And the overemphasis of corn syrup can be easily avoided if one chooses to do so.
Americans can do good food. They also large war memorials and monuments.

They also do grand statues, even if they’re lies. Case in point: Harvard University’s statue of John Harvard — the ‘founder’ who wasn’t actually the ‘founder’, with a ‘year’ that wasn’t actually the founding year, and a person that isn’t the likeness of ’John Harvard’).
Also in the lies category — Rivers. Every city postcard of a river that is blue, is never blue. Myth busted.

But Boston is a beautiful city, with red and grass dancing with one another along the cityscape. With history and modern, as well as its humble exterior, its certainly a place to live in. Maybe not a city with an abundance of attractions, but a place to work and do life in.
And its small enough to have nightclubs house all-ages music concerts, with a high proportion of mother & daughter duos. Or maybe that was the indie band I went to. Nonetheless, the gig finished at 9pm! How family-friendly!

Overall, the trip was noteworthy for the family and friends I was able to meet, spend time with and be around as they went about their everyday lives. To picturesque views, abundant pub collections of cider, endless shops, noteworthy museums and cheap hairdressers (maybe I should’ve went a lighter shade of brown).. I’ll see you soon the US of A.